Carl F. Eifler

Carl Eifler (1906-2002) was a U.S. Army officer.

As a young man, Eifler served in the Los Angeles Police Department and in the U.S. Border Patrol. A reserve Army officer, he was called to active service when the U.S. entered World War II. He was officer-of-the-day for the army base in Hawaii the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, stating Zeroes had done multiple strafing runs of the jeep he was driving. He commanded Detachment 101, a paramilitary organization operating against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign, part of the China India Burma Theater. He held the rank of Colonel when he was discharged in 1943 because of injuries. He turned over command of Detachment 101 to Lt. Col. William R. Peers.

After the war, Eifler took degrees in divinity and psychology and worked as a clinical psychologist.

Colonel Eifler is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and had the distinct pleasure of being the only military dignitary to have a military building named after him, Eifler Gym on Fort Huachuca, Arizona, while still living; in all other cases was awarded posthumously.

Further reading

Moon, Thomas. "The Deadliest Colonel." (New York: Vantage Press, 1975.)